Thunder nuggets: 4 things that can be seen with reputations, legacy in game 7

Oklahoma City – So much is on Sunday: call, legacies, financial effects, jobs, advertising campaigns and of course the chance to continue next week.

All of this because the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma Thunder could not find any way to eliminate themselves through six games of this intensive conference. So here you are in a game 7 (Sunday, 3:30 ET, ABC) for the last 48 minutes (or more if there are overtime).

This is a fresh territory for this version of the thunder. As for the nuggets, this is not your first rodeo. You have played more game 7 than every team in the past seven years and are 4: 2 in these situations.

“Each game is a separate chapter, its own company,” said Nugget's interim coach David Adelman.

Here is what is at stake:

For the thunder
A top seed, which dominated the regular season, won 68 games, ended 18 games in advance in the west, far had the highest point differential and suddenly swept the first round. Losing this game and not being created from the second round would be soul penalty, if not crippled; OKC brings the youngest team in the league.

For the nuggets
After the nuggets had only released their head coach and general manager a week before the playoffs, they were only internally shaky a month ago. Losing this game would be a highlight of all of this. Winning would breathe a fresh life into the team and turn the prospects around.

Adelman said: “We are happy about the opportunity.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “It makes or dies. It is what you live for.”

Here are four things that you should look for in the last game of a series that has not yet disappointed:

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1. MVP showdown between Jokić and SGA

The league has not yet awarded the most valued individual trophy, and the preferred proposal is that it is distributed to the game to the really deserved winner.

However, the vote is long gone and it is a regular award anyway.

This means that there is certainly an incentive for Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander, the suspected top two candidates for the trophy, in this game 7. Large players bring healthy egos with them and always want to test themselves against equally heavy players, especially if the missions are high. The degree of satisfaction when winning this game will be immense because the entire basketball world expects two judgments – this series and the MVP price.

Jokić and Shai called up in this series, apart from a few rough patches. The defense played against them was strategic and sometimes useful, but both finally had a way to crack the code.

For Jokić
Can he deliver against the train of Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren and Jaylen Williams? And if he does it, it is still fresh enough for the stretch run of the fourth quarter, provided that the score is tight and the ball comes in his way?

For Shai
How does he change between moments when he has to shoot and if he has to distribute himself? And will he get the advantage of doubts about the referees if he dribbles through traffic and invites you to travel to the Free Wurfine?

The result of this game could rest on the answers to these questions.

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2. Gordon's state of health

Aaron Gordon's left armpit will be a problem until he shows that this is not the case. In the last moments of game 6, he grabbed treatment immediately after the game. He had the luxury of two inactive days, but will that be enough for an injury that requires a lot of it?

We know that much: Gordon's value for the nuggets is difficult. Remember to close his ability to close games is valuable how this post -season is occupied by two players and another shot that forced overtime.

The nuggets are also lacking. If Gordon cannot play or is limited, these minutes must be devoured by someone who is not used to being in a top -class, great role.

With Michael Porter Jr., who are still limited by a shoulder injury, the nuggets are desperate according to evaluations. Porter has to dig deeply – he scored three or fewer points in three games in this series – or otherwise. What to us …

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3. Westbrook's last chance of redemption

The stage is set for a torn comeback. Russell Westbrook is back in Oklahoma City, where he won an MVP and may have built a statue in the future. This is a game 7. And his performance in this series for the nuggets was to express friendly.

He can either delete all of this and leave OKC with an original scream or continue to show the decline of a former superstar and ask many questions outside of the season about his future in this league.

The thunder clearly respects him by leaving him wide open and asking the nuggets to throw the ball to him. Westbrook plays into these wishes by constantly expanding the floor instead of staying near the edge, where his chances of getting a layup are much better. In this series he shoots 18% of deep and 35% overall. In the last three games, he has more sales than field goals.

Westbrook still has its engine, which contributes to playing hectic games, the possessions are kept alive. He also has the habit of jogging the defense after having a shot badly or making a bad pass.

It is sometimes a hard watch. Nevertheless, he has the chance to pay in OKC in all places. The last chapter of the script is waiting to be written.

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4. Okcs depth in great demand

The approach to the numbers in witnesses served the thunder well to this point. It is your advantage except Shai about any other team. For this reason, you can absorb the occasional bad night of Holmgren, Jalen Williams or Lu there and still maintain a high level.

There could be a red alarm Sunday if Williams continue to fire badly. He has shooting games with 5-against-20, 5-to-14, 3-against-16 and 2-for-13 in this series. His 3 pointer is missing. As a designated option No. 2, Williams is a high value in addition to Shai. But if he starts bad, how long stays with him Mark Daigneult?

It is a delicate situation because most coaches stay with the players who have helped them travel so far, and it will be a shock if Daignauch refers to this approach – Williams is an enormous player who can relax and defend themselves. Nevertheless, Oklahoma City has the advantage of contacting Cason Wallace or Aaron Wiggins, both of whom played very well from the bank when points are required.

OKC's long rotation carries the opposition, which never sees a lot of relief in a thunderstart that goes on the bench. Here in a game 7, now or a Neiger competition, this could be a difference.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can send him an email Here you will find his archive here and follow him X.

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